Tweet, Tweet

Rationale: In order to become fluent readers, children must learn to break the alphabetic code. After they learn individual phonemes, they are ready to learn digraphs. This lesson will help children recognize that ee= /E/ by spelling and reading words containing ee.

Materials: Word list: bee, sand, bend, feed, keep, bed, dime
       Elkonin letterboxes
       Set of lower case letters: e, e, b, d, d, j, l, p, r, s, t,
       Book: What do Seals Eat? Educational Insights
       Chalk and chalkboard

Procedure: 1. Introduce the lesson by explaining that when two vowels are side by side they usually make a single mouth move. Some times the letter e makes the /e/ sound like in pet. What are some other words that have /e/ in them? Today we are going to learn about the sound that two e’s make when they are sitting next to each other. We will practice by spelling and reading words with ee in them.
2. When two e’s are sitting next to each other they make the /E/ sound. Birds makes the /E/ sound when they say tweet, tweet.
3. Let’s try a tongue twister. Don’t speed up the steep street. Now, let’s say it again and stress the /E/ in the middle of the words. Don’t speeeed up the steeeep streeeet.
 4. I am going to say some words and when you hear the /E/ sound say tweet. Bee, sand, bend, feed, keep, bed, dime.
5. Now we are going to use are letterboxes to spell words with ee. Since the two e’s makes only one sound when they are next to each other, they will both go in the same square. Spell bee with me. You spell it out loud as I spell it on the board. Draw letterbox with two squares on the board. The first box contains b and the second contains ee.
6. Now get out your letterboxes and letters. Fold your letterboxes so that you will only have two squares. Now spell see. After they have spelled each word correctly write the word on the board. Next fold your letterboxes so that you have three squares. Have students spell deed, beet, and jeep. Now change to four squares. Have students spell sleep and bleed. The monster word for today needs to have five squares. Have students to spell street.
7. Put away your letters and letterboxes. Read each word as I point to it.
8. We are going to read a book about what seals like to eat. What do you think seal eat? Do you think they eat pizza, fries, or chips? Let’s read and find out. Each child will take turns reading What does Seals Eat?
9. For assessment I will note miscues as the children read to me individually.

References: Murray, B.A., and Lesniak, T. 199. The letterbox lesson: A hands-on approach for teaching decoding. The Reading Teacher, 52, p.644-650.

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